logo
German court lifts ban on far-right magazine

German court lifts ban on far-right magazine

The Advertiser24-06-2025
A German court has lifted a ban imposed by the government on a far-right magazine, ruling the case against it does not clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher.
Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July.
Then-interior minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as "a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene", and said it "agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy".
Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August 2024 pending a full consideration of the case.
Following a hearing earlier in June, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday.
The court said Germany's constitution guaranteed freedom of the press and opinion "even for the enemies of freedom" and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be "formative" for the group.
It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question did not reach that threshold.
Compact is run by far-right figure Jurgen Elsasser and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV.
It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise.
Compact has been published since 2010.
In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it "regularly disseminates ... anti-Semitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content".
The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
A German court has lifted a ban imposed by the government on a far-right magazine, ruling the case against it does not clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher.
Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July.
Then-interior minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as "a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene", and said it "agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy".
Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August 2024 pending a full consideration of the case.
Following a hearing earlier in June, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday.
The court said Germany's constitution guaranteed freedom of the press and opinion "even for the enemies of freedom" and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be "formative" for the group.
It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question did not reach that threshold.
Compact is run by far-right figure Jurgen Elsasser and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV.
It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise.
Compact has been published since 2010.
In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it "regularly disseminates ... anti-Semitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content".
The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
A German court has lifted a ban imposed by the government on a far-right magazine, ruling the case against it does not clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher.
Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July.
Then-interior minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as "a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene", and said it "agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy".
Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August 2024 pending a full consideration of the case.
Following a hearing earlier in June, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday.
The court said Germany's constitution guaranteed freedom of the press and opinion "even for the enemies of freedom" and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be "formative" for the group.
It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question did not reach that threshold.
Compact is run by far-right figure Jurgen Elsasser and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV.
It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise.
Compact has been published since 2010.
In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it "regularly disseminates ... anti-Semitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content".
The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
A German court has lifted a ban imposed by the government on a far-right magazine, ruling the case against it does not clear the high bar required to outlaw its publisher.
Germany's previous government banned Compact magazine and the company that publishes it, Compact-Magazin GmbH, in July.
Then-interior minister Nancy Faeser described Compact as "a central mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene", and said it "agitates in an unspeakable way against Jews, against people with a history of migration and against our parliamentary democracy".
Compact appealed to the Federal Administrative Court, which suspended the ban in August 2024 pending a full consideration of the case.
Following a hearing earlier in June, the court lifted the ban altogether on Tuesday.
The court said Germany's constitution guaranteed freedom of the press and opinion "even for the enemies of freedom" and that, on grounds of proportionality, a ban could only be justified if the publisher's anti-constitutional activities were proven to be "formative" for the group.
It said a review of the evidence showed that the material in question did not reach that threshold.
Compact is run by far-right figure Jurgen Elsasser and produces the monthly magazine of the same name, which has a circulation of about 40,000, as well as an online video channel, Compact TV.
It also runs an online shop selling books, CDs, DVDs and other merchandise.
Compact has been published since 2010.
In its annual report for 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency said that it "regularly disseminates ... anti-Semitic, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory content".
The strength of the far right has caused increasing concern in Germany in recent years.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Anti-Israeli graffiti attack on Parliament sparks camera upgrade and push case for ‘Post and Boast' laws
Anti-Israeli graffiti attack on Parliament sparks camera upgrade and push case for ‘Post and Boast' laws

West Australian

time8 hours ago

  • West Australian

Anti-Israeli graffiti attack on Parliament sparks camera upgrade and push case for ‘Post and Boast' laws

An anti-Israel graffiti attack has sparked a review of State Parliament's security cameras, after the incident revealed a gap in coverage. Senior staff told a Budget estimates hearing on Thursday that the night-time attack was only partly captured on CCTV. 'The area is actually under CCTV surveillance. However, it was at night time, and the cameras aren't the night vision type of cameras,' Parliamentary Services Executive Manager Rob Hunter said. 'So there is a need to upgrade our cameras across the whole precinct. They go into over 100 cameras, so that one there did capture some things, including the offender coming down Harvest Terrace.' Mapping has started but funding is yet to be allocated to upgrade cameras, six weeks after a door of State Parliament and the footpath in West Perth were spray-painted. 'We expect that this year we will see some upgrades in our cameras across the precinct,' Mr Hunter said. It was also revealed that the 22-year-old charged over the damage has since paid 'restitution' of $2200 for the clean-up. It was also revealed he had posted video of the crime on social media, but proposed 'post and boast' laws set to carry a maximum penalty of three years jail are yet to pass Parliament and did not apply.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store